When you think about sending your newsletter or starting an email marketing plan do any of these thoughts go through your mind?

"I don't want to annoy people."

"I don't have enough people on my email list."

"I have nothing exciting to say."

Do any of the above thoughts resonate with you?

If so, know that you're not alone, these are common fears that pretty much everyone feels at one time or another when it comes to email marketing. They're very common assumptions.

But nonetheless, these are fears that are holding you back from building a more successful, profitable business. And I don't want that to continue. I sincerely want you to utilize one of the best marketing channels available to you today; email marketing. And in order for you to create a successful newsletter strategy we need to extinguish the above ideas.

Let's crush these fears, shall we?

Fear #1: Fear of annoying people.

This is one of the first fears pretty much anyone that starts to approach sending a consistent newsletter has.

We want people to like us. We want people to like what we do. It's just part of the human condition. And in the 21st century no one wants to be a smarmy sales person.

But here's where we get it confused. This isn't about being *liked.* It's about building your business and finding the right audience.

AND you can absolutely sell what you do and do it in a way that resonates with others and makes you feel good. (ie: no smarmy sales-y BS.)

For the longest time, I was so afraid of using my newsletter to sell what I did. I finally exhausted myself enough and changed my thinking. And with that came a change in my experience.

People started signing up for my consulting, and buy my products.

Seriously. Through this experience, I learned a lot about email marketing and the power it has for one's business through years of trial and error and living in fear. Do not do what I did.

If people unsubscribe from your list, that is a good thing. It means that they are not your target market and it’s better that they are gone sooner rather than later.

I also began to understand that IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ANNOY PEOPLE. Why? Because your email marketing strategy is a self-correcting process. People sign up because they want to hear from you. If people unsubscribe from your list, that is a good thing. It means that they are not your target market and it's better that they are gone sooner rather than later.

You only want people on your list that want to be there. That want to buy. (We'll talk further about this below.) That want to open and read your newsletter. And trust me, they are out there.

We are a consumer society. People understand that when they hand over their email to you, you will use it to talk to them about your business. This is a fact. They expect it.

Fear #2: Fear that your list isn't *big* enough.

We live in a culture where social media has ruined our thinking. Everyone wants thousands of people fawning over their business (which is normal, but mostly unsustainable).

I understand the sentiment behind this lizard brain thinking when it comes to social media, I do! Follower numbers are social proof and they signal to people "ohhh, hmmm people pay attention to this business...maybe I should too." But this is not the end all and be all of a business' success.

And remember, follows do not pay the bills. Sales do.

No one sees how many people are on your email list. It doesn't matter how many people are subscribed to your list so start sending today. You can have two people or two thousand. Ten or ten thousand. It doesn't matter.

What does matter is that you are working to build relationships with your readers and start to make sales. And that can only happen when you send your newsletter.

Another wonderful thing about not having a huge list? You can get comfortable! You can get to know the people on your list. You can learn what works for you. You can see what feels good to write about. You can see what people respond to.

You can also get more savvy! You'll learn what software works well for you. How to segment subscribers when your list starts to grow. There are so many positive reasons to start building your email marketing when your list is small.

Don't get caught up in the numbers game. Sure, it's important to build your list, and get more subscribers because that's just part of growing your business. But just because you have a small list doesn't mean you can't begin. Start now. Don't wait.

Fear #3: Fear of nothing to say.

I'm not going to spend a lot on this fear, because I recently wrote a massive post with 23 ideas to help you with your newsletter content that will help spark a lot of inspiration. So when you need it, head on over here.

But I will tell you briefly that your newsletter should revolve around what it is you do in your business and the products and services you offer.

That's it.

Knowing that should comfort you. You know your business best. You absolutely have something to say that your customers, clients, and readers want to hear. Part of combating this fear is sending your newsletter consistently so you get used to writing the type of content that resonates with your readers.

It's a process, one that takes time.

Shake these fears off!

Everything you read above, I've personally struggled with (and at times still do). And many other small businesses have as well. It's part of growing as a business. It's just growing pains.

But the best news? You can step outside your comfort zone and be rewarded for it (sales!). You can learn to shake these fears off by starting (or tightening up) your newsletter strategy today! It's really that simple. You can build an email marketing strategy that represents and builds your business in a thoughtful, profitable way.

Remember, you're not reinventing the wheel here. There are hundreds of thousands of businesses that send newsletters to their list all of the time. Don't over think it!

Want to talk about this further? You know I do! Tune in below and watch my latest FB Live where I talk about all of the above!